"I come to praise Wetherspoon's, not to bury them"

If you'd told me, many years ago, when I visited my first Wetherspoon's pub that I'd be writing a post in praise of them, I'd've said, "Yer what?!?"

When they first appeared, I thought that Wetherspoon's pubs were something of an abomination...no atmosphere, bad layout, poor service, dubious décor...not really proper pubs.

Over the years, though, they've evolved and many of my initial criticisms have disappeared or been ameliorated to some extent such that I am happy to drink (and eat there) in the absence of a 'proper' alternative.

Over the years, on our canal boating trips we've been saved from 'starvation' by various Wetherspoon establishments and it is my intention to offer thanks and praise.

The first, and finest, example of this is The Plaza, Rugeley. We first ventured in there in 1999 and I was 'blown away' by the interior of this converted cinema. It has saved us on many occasions, bieng one of the few places to get food in the centre of Rugeley...lunchtime or evenings. It has featured as #218 on this blog where you can read more about it.

Plaza, Rugeley 1999

 What follows will be a potted history of the other examples of when and where Wetherspoon's pubs have saved us in some very 'dodgy' places.

This next example doesn't quite fit the pattern, but it is a Wetherspoon's that we've visited more than once - The Golden Bee, Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Golden Bee, Stratford 2002

The next one fits the bill perfectly, although we even had to get a taxi to the Golden Cross Hotel, Bromsgrove. The canal doesn't pass through Bromsgrove, but on this occasion we'd missed getting served food in the canalside hostelries near to Stoke Pound/Stoke Prior, so "Taxi!" it was. Similar circumstances forced us back there several years later.

Golden Cross Hotel, Bromsgrove 2002

Now for one that I had completely forgotten about - The Bear & Ragged Staff, Bedworth. As I recall, The Navigation by the canal was closed (or not doing food) meaning that we had to walk into Bedworth which, back in 2005 was quite a deprived area following the closure of the local coal mines, so pubs serving food were few and far between.

The Bear & Ragged Staff, Bedworth 2005

 Although we've visited quite a few Wetherspoon's just for a drink (Coventry, Rugby, Leamington Spa, Leicester, Stone, Wolverhampton to name a few) this next one was one of the best 'Saviour Pubs' on the list. We'd moored by the Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, the first two pubs we visited were dire (in different ways) and walking further into the town gave only the prospect of pizza, kebab or fish & chips on the street for lunch. Then we espied the shining beacon that was The Thomas Telford, Ellesmere Port. Lunch was excellent!

The Thomas Telford, Ellesmere Port 2012

Later on that same year, we found ourselves in Bingley (twice) on the Leeds & LIverpool Canal. At lunchtime there were no pubs doing food and the town was overshadowed by the brooding, boarded up, brutalist building that had been the headquarters of the Bradford & Bingley Building Society. However, we were saved by The Myrtle Grove, Bingley. On our subsequent evening visit we found proper food in a proper pub.

The Myrtle Grove, Bingley 2012

Along the Ashby Canal stands the town of Hinckley which we'd visited in the past and not had a problem finding food. On this occasion, the only place we could find was The Baron of Hinckley. And very welcome it was too!

The Baron of Hinckley, Hinckley 2014

Ilkeston, on the Erewash Canal is not somewhere that we visit often and with the town standing on top of the hill that the canal skirts around, it is quite a slog to get to the town centre. There are several pubs there, but only The Observatory, Ilkeston was doing food.

The Observatory, Ilkeston 2015

This next one is somewhat embarrasing for me. We were in the centre of Birmingham (my home city!) and yet still managed to miss the last orders for food in several places that stopped serving food at 8:30 - 9:00 pm. I was very frustrated by this lack of opening times and we ended up eating in The Briar Rose, Birmingham.

The Briar Rose, Birmingham 2018

This is one that you'll find most difficult to believe, but on our most recent canal trip, we found ourselves in Oxford one lunchtime and the best place we could find was The Four Candles, Oxford. We were moored on the river for the first time, so didn't really know where we were and didn't really have time to do much exploring, so it was a joyous moment when the Wetherspoon's hoved into view! I had one of the best value pizzas ever, here!

The Four Candles, Oxford 2019

 Finally, we move on to Hayes on the Grand Union Canal. There were quite a few basic boozers available but only The Botwell Inn, Hayes was offering food.

The Botwell Inn, Hayes 2019

 It was after three pints here that I contrived to fall into the canal...but that's another story!

So, here endeth my paean to JD Wetherspoon and how their pubs have saved us from 'starvation' over the past 20 years of canal boating...all hail Tim Martin!!

#229 The Vaults, Rugeley, Staffs : 1987 to 2016

This will be a short entry for a pub we've only ever been in once, on the rainy evening of Tuesday 14th July 1987...we haven't been back; nor are we likely to!

Back then it was, as I recall, a fairly typical town centre pub called the Cabin Inn. It was a wet, dreary evening that put us off returning to Rugeley for many years!

Over recent years, we've stopped at Rugeley quite a few times, but never returned to the Cabin Inn which is now called The Vaults.

This was taken on the evening of Monday 28th March 2016 as we were passing by and heading for Wetherspoons. Something of a complete change in the intervening 29 years - it is interesting to note that out-of-town pubs have mostly gone down the food/gastro route to survival whereas a good number of town/city pubs have taken the live music route to maintain trade. I'm sure that the people who do go there have a good time and I'm always happy to see pubs surviving...but it isn't my sort of place.

#222 Pig & Bell, Rugeley, Staffordshire : 1999 to 2016 (RIP)

For reaching 'Double Nelson' you might have expected me to choose a special pub, but no, you get the now defunct Pig & Bell from that underwhelming (from a pub perspective) town of Rugeley.

We first encountered the Pig & Bell at lunchtime on Tuesday 31st August 1999.

As I recall, it was a modern style pub (for those days!) trying to be like a Firkin or Hogshead pub.

Our next encounter was at lunchtime on Tuesday 5th September 2006.

There was no discernible difference inside or out; it may have been repainted during those seven years.

Fast forward to the evening of Sunday 20th March 2016.

I can't say that this was a complete shock to me, but it is always sad to see a pub disappear. We didn't sample the delights of The Rugeley Spice, but no doubt, one day, we will probably be tempted inside!

# 218 The Plaza, Rugeley, Staffordshire : 1999 to 2016

Rugeley has always been something of an enigma, to put it politely. The Trent & Mersey Canal runs through the centre of the town and with good moorings offers access to all the shopping you'd need on a boating trip. There are quite a few pubs in the town, but there aren't many GOOD pubs! Places to eat in the evening are also few and far between.

I do remember the first time we visited The Plaza in Rugeley, though. In the early days I wasn't a fan of Wetherspoons pubs, but I was 'blown away' with the interior of The Plaza when I first walked in. The whole wall, where the screen would have been was now glass, from floor to ceiling.

 This was at lunchtime on Tuesday 31st August 1999.

We didn't return to The Plaza for a few years and when we did this is what we found.

 This was another lunchtime stop on Tuesday 5th September 2006. As we all know, Wetherspoons pubs never change...or do they? The free standing sign has been replaced, together with the signs either side of the entrance and flowers have appeared on the canopy over the entrance as well as in hanging baskets.

It was again quite a few years before we ventured back to The Plaza.

This was on the evening of Monday 6th April 2015. Again, the exterior signage had been replaced and the hanging baskets were still in place, but it was a little too early in the years for them to bloom. Interestingly, the Council have removed the railings which has allowed the pub to build a little outdoor enclave, presumably for the smokers.

Our most recent visit occurred almost exactly a year later on the evening of Monday 28th March 2016.

 Not much had changed in a year, but there are now tables and chairs in the smoking enclaves (it is now possible to see that these outdoor areas are both sides of the entrance.

For the second year running, we ate in The Plaza as it was the best option we could find in the town. I must admit that, over the years, I've warmed up more to Wetherspoons pubs. I think that they've become somewhat more 'pubby' than in the early days and the bar service is now pretty good. I don't think that they'll ever become my 'go to' choice except in places like Ellesmere Port, Bingley and Rugeley!

#191 The Vine, Rugeley, Staffordshire : 1999 to 2015

Over the years, we've found Rugeley to be a bit of a desert for memorable pubs and so we've tended not to stop there as often as you'd expect. However, with the new boat being moored on the Trent & Mersey Canal just an hour's cruise away, this may change.

We discovered The Vine somewhat by accident at lunchtime on Tuesday 31st August 1999.

I have little recollection of what it was like inside, but I get the impression that it was more pleasant than some Rugeley pubs.

We've been back to Rugeley on several occasions since 1999, but it was only on a recent visit that we rediscovered The Vine.

This was on the evening of Monday 6th April 2015. It was Easter Monday and it had been quite a pleasant day. We'd been to a couple of the pubs in Rugeley and were looking for somewhere slightly different. At the time, I didn't realise that we'd been to The Vine previously.  As would be expected, the exterior is somewhat changed over the 16 years between visits!

It is now a 'community' pub and inside it is furnished in a fairly basic, non-descript style - probably because they didn't have thousands of pounds to lavish on it!

You can find out more about it in the Oficial Pub Guide including a brief history.

#160 Three Tuns Inn, Fazeley, Stafforshire : 1987 to 2014

At the northern end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal is Fazeley Junction where it joins the Coventry Canal. The small town of Fazeley is a place where we've frequently stopped on our canal trips throughout the years. There are several pubs, but the one we've visited most, mainly because it is the nearest to the canal, is the Three Tuns Inn.

This first visit was on the evening of Wednesday 15th July 1987 as we were heading back home from a two week trip that had taken in Worcester, Stourport, Market Drayton, Middlewich, Stoke and Rugeley. I have no recollection of the interior, but I suspect that it was then, as now, a fairly standard boozer.

Our next visit was on the evening of Thursday 30th May 1996.

The outside of the pub had been completely refurbished with a new hanging sign and the introduction of a satellite dish. It would appear that it was no longer a Mann's pub.

Next visit was on Monday 30th August 1999, a lunchtime stop, but unfortunately the Three Tuns wasn't doing food, so we had a pint and moved on.

No real change to the exterior, but it is interesting to note how the net curtains have been removed in stages throughout the years!

We didn't return again until lunchtime on Sunday 21st August 2005.

Some changes to the outside, the hanging sign has gone as has the satellite dish...but the net curtains have returned!

Next visit was on Sunday 29th August 2010, another lunchtime stop.

The hanging sign has returned as has the satellite dish (in a different position), but the derelict building next door has finally been demolished!

And so, on to our most recent visit which was at lunchtime on Sunday 5th October 2014 when we had a large Sunday Roast lunch.

The outside had been completely redecorated with a new hanging sign, a third satellite dish with pastel green replacing the black...and the net curtains have disappeared again!

The pub has been under new management since December 2011 (see website) and, despite claims of refurbishment, the interior seemed to be pretty much as I remembered it from previous visits - namely, proper pub with no frills - just as I like it!

#065 The Plum Pudding, Armitage, Staffs : 2000 to 2011

Considering how many times we've travelled along this stretch of the Trent & Mersey Canal it is quite surprising how few times we've been into The Plum Pudding at Armitage. Actually, we've only been inside once and that was on the evening of Monday 28th August 2000.

This was a Bank Holiday Monday and we were in the early stages of our trip to Manchester, which is quite a feat to achieve in two weeks (there and back) from south of Birmingham. To keep on schedule, we needed to be well beyond Fradley Junction, but we didn't want to spend a night in Rugeley because previous visits there had been less than wonderful.

From the outside, The Plum Pudding always looks inviting and inside it didn't disappoint. In those days it was a country pub that did good food. So, we went in, ordered a pint and perused the menu. We chose our food, had another pint and waited.  As I recall, the meal came quite quickly and was very good...and we had another pint.

Then we decided to stretch our legs and sample the delights of the Spode Cottage pub which was just across the road. As we were halfway down the path we heard a voice behind us saying, "Er, haven't you fogotten something lads?"

Yes, we'd done a runner and not even realised it! The manager was very understanding and we paid up rather embarrasedly and went on our way. How could experienced drinkers like us make such a textbook error? Quite easily as it turned out! They didn't take for the food when we ordered it, but we did pay for more beer and just assumed that we'd paid! ...And we've never been back, but as we were cruising by last year I took this shot, for old times sake.

This photo was taken on Monday 29th August 2011 as I was steering Emma Jane on the way to Stoke and the Caldon Canal. As you can see it has been completely re done on the outside and it is now a fully fledged gastropub - you only need to take a quick look at their website to see that. The one saving grace is that it's no longer an Ansell's pub anymore!!